Cody Kolodziejzyk, the YouTube commentator better known as Cody Ko, will step away from the day-to-day operations of TMG Studios, the podcast network he co-founded, following allegations that he had sex with an underage influencer when he was 25.
The news was announced in a post to the podcast network’s paid subscribers on Friday night. The six shows currently under the network’s umbrella did not post new episodes last week as scheduled.
In June, influencer Tana Mongeau, 26, alleged that Kolodziejzyk, 33, had sex with her when she was underage. Kolodziejzyk has not made a statement about the allegations, but has faced mounting backlash in recent weeks. He lost about 250,000 subscribers in the last 30 days, according to the social media analytics site Social Blade.
Kolodziejzyk’s representatives did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The content of the departure post was initially emailed to TMG Studios employees on Friday morning. The post, reviewed by NBC News, is behind a paywall for TMG Studios subscribers.
“As we enter this next phase of the studio, we would like to inform you that Cody will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of TMG Studios,” the post read. “What has happened over the past few weeks is a personal issue for him, and Cody wants to remove any effect this is having on your professional and personal lives and the work you and our other hosts have done to make TMG Studios so successful. ”
The post also stated that co-founder Noel Miller, Kolodziejzyk’s longtime creative and business partner, would continue to lead the network. The shows will resume “in the coming weeks,” according to the post. At TMG Studios, Kolodziejzyk co-hosts the “Tiny Meat Gang Podcast” with Miller. He also has his own show called “Insanely Chill”.
The news comes nearly a week after podcasters Drew Phillips and Enya Umanzor, whose show “Emergency Intercom” was acquired by TMG Studios in May, announced they would be leaving the network amid criticism of Kolodziejzyk. On a July 19th Instagram Postthey announced that the podcast would be “independently produced by us” going forward, but did not directly address the allegations against Kolodziejzyk.
Representatives for Phillips and Umanzor did not respond to a request for comment.
Kolodziejzyk, 33, has risen to prominence in YouTube’s robust comment space and has nearly 6 million subscribers on his main channel.
Mongeau addressed speculation about his experience with Kolodziejzyk in several podcasts published in June. The podcasts emerged after a clip of her saying she had sex with the YouTuber when she was 17 went viral that same month.
Common June 21st episode of his “Canceled” podcast, Mongeau said Kolodziejzyk was 25 years old when the incident happened. She described the encounter as a “crime”.
“To be 100% honest, when I look back at the Cody situation, I definitely think, why was he doing that?” Mongeau, who recently turned 26, said in the episode. “Do you know what I mean? And there were so many situations, there was a situation with [influencer] Gabbie Hanna in a [YouTuber convention] Playlist Live where she pulled him aside and said, ‘Hey, she’s 17.’ And yet we went and stayed.
A representative for Mongeau declined to comment further when asked by NBC News. Hanna’s representatives did not respond to a request for comment.
Mongeau went on to say that she “doesn’t associate it with or consider it trauma” because “many worse things have happened” to her.
Mongeau also appeared on Trisha Paytas’ podcast “Just Trish” and said she saw comments trying to discredit her because of her reputation as a controversial personality.
“When they are not a loved one, [audiences] We’re so willing to jump on that bandwagon and say ‘fuck you,’ but if you’re saying something happened to a loved one, it’s crazy how that can be perceived,” she said on the “Just Trish” podcast.
Mongeau had previously alluded to having sex with Kolodziejzyk when she was a teenager. Mongeau mentioned “hooking up” with several people, including Kolodziejzyk, when she was 17 or 18, in a December 2021 episode of “Cancelled.”
After weeks of silence from the broader YouTube commenting community, the floodgates apparently open after creator D’Angelo Wallace, who has more than 1.6 million subscribers and creates in-depth videos about online controversies, called out Kolodziejzyk in a video posted on July 14th.
Following the release of Wallace’s video, several prominent creators – including the YouTuber – commented Jarvis Johnson and TikTok star Brittany Broski – shared statements condemning the alleged act.
Johnson, a fellow YouTuber commentator, shared a statement on July 15 urging Kolodziejzyk to respond to Mongeau’s allegations.
“It is absolutely necessary that we listen to victims, period,” Johnson said in the statement. “Platform or not, and regardless of personal feelings towards them, we must treat claims like this seriously.”
Broski, the prominent TikTok star whose real name is Brittany Tomlinson, also shared a statement on the matter on her Instagram Stories on July 15. Tomlinson and Kolodziejzyk have collaborated on several podcast episodes and YouTube videos.
“I was devastated to learn of Cody’s accusations,” Tomlinson wrote. “If this is proven to be true, it will be extremely upsetting to a longtime collaborator and fan. I find this all disturbing, inappropriate and completely disgusting.”
TMG Studios was founded in 2021 and includes “Tiny Meat Gang Podcast”, “Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast”, “Obsessed with Brooke Averick”, “The Zach and Wahlid Show”, “Company Lot” and “Insanely Chill”. ”
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